An internal combustion engine (ICE) generally includes an air intake system, which includes an intake manifold and an air duct for conveying fresh air from the environment into the intake manifold, an exhaust system, which includes an exhaust manifold for collecting the exhaust gasses and directing them to an exhaust gas line that conveys the exhaust gasses to the environment, and a turbocharger, which includes a compressor located in the air intake system for compressing the air stream flowing therein and a turbine located in the exhaust system for driving the compressor.
In order to reduce the polluting emissions, some internal combustion engines, having a turbocharger, are provided with a long-route exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, for selectively routing back exhaust gas from the exhaust system into the air duct of the air intake system. In such a way the exhaust gas mixed with the fresh air is admitted into the engine cylinders, in order to reduce the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx) during the combustion process. In details, long-route EGR systems include an EGR pipe, which fluidly connects the exhaust system with the air duct upstream of the compressor of the turbocharger, an EGR cooler located in the EGR pipe, and a valve regulating the flow rate of exhaust gas through the EGR pipe.
A drawback of the long-route EGR systems is due to potential condensation in cold environmental condition. Indeed, during the engine warm-up phase in cold environmental condition it happens that exhaust gas condensates in the EGR pipe, generating droplets which flow against the compressor wheel.